Is the Boeing Dreamliner safe?

A recent spate of mechanical
glitches on Dreamliner jets has officials questioning the safety of
Boeing’s newest – and most touted – airliner, and passengers wondering whether
the 787 is safe for commercial travel.

For three days
in a row this week, Boeing’s star plane has experienced high-profile problems. Yesterday
a brake problem on a Dreamliner forced authorities to cancel an All Nippon
Airways flight at Yamaguchi Ube Airport in Japan. On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines
Boeing 787 readying for takeoff at Boston Logan International Airport sprang a
leak from its main engine, spilling about 40 gallons of fuel onto the runway
and causing safety workers to tow it back to the gate. Just one day earlier, an
electrical fire broke out on an empty Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet at Boston Logan
International Airport, after it had deplaned passengers arriving on a non-stop
flight from Tokyo.

But this
week’s problems are just the latest in a string of glitches plaguing Boeing’s
newest jet, which entered commercial service in November 2011. Three other
Dreamliners have experienced electrical problems or had their electrical
systems checked for potential issues in
recent weeks, while in December 2012, a Dreamliner operated by United
Airlines and flying from Houston, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, experienced
mechanical issues and was diverted to New Orleans. Even in its test flights in
2010 and 2011, the jet experienced electrical problems and engine failures, CNN
reports.

There are
many possible reasons why the envelope-pushing jet has experienced problems. It
continues to suffer the effects
of a production schedule beset with delays and setbacks. More importantly, it’s
outfitted with the very latest technology, making it prone to glitches. It is
the first commercial jet built mostly from carbon-plastic fibres rather than
conventional aluminium and steel, making it more lightweight, and therefore,
fuel-efficient. The wide-body, twin-engine jet relies on a complex network of
electrical systems rather than traditional pneumatic systems.

Packed with
state-of-the-art technology, Boeing’s latest, most sophisticated, jet, is
supposed to make air travel more comfortable, innovative and efficient. But is
it safe? Until investigations are complete, it’s difficult to fully answer this
question. But industry analysts say the recent problems pose more of an
embarrassment to Boeing rather than a serious concern about safety.

“None of this is a showstopper, and none of this should signal this
product is fundamentally flawed,” Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at
the consulting firm Teal Group, told
the New York Times. “But whether these are design glitches or manufacturing
glitches, either way it’s a serious hit to Boeing’s image.”

For its part, Boeing has come out and publicly defended its Dreamliner.

“I am 100% convinced that the aeroplane is safe to fly. I fly on it
myself all the time,” Mike Sinnett, the chief project engineer for the 787 said
during a press conference yesterday.
Sinnet added that Boeing has “extreme confidence” in its Dreamliner.

What’s more, this week’s high-profile problems have thrust the jet into
the spotlight, forcing Boeing, safety officials and airlines flying 787s to
carefully inspect the planes to ensure safety. Boeing has about 800 Dreamliners
– each costing $200 million – backordered for production, so it is in the
company’s best interest to address the mechanical issues quickly and
completely. And this scrutiny is surely good news for travellers.

“I wouldn't be concerned as a passenger,” John Hansman, a professor of aeronautics
and astronautics at MIT in Boston, told
ABC News. “This is a very good airplane, but it's very advanced. It's
pushing the envelope.”